urban projections
Austin Performance Theater
The University of Texas at Austin / Fall 2023
Professor: Matt Fajkus
Partner: Julia Nahley
Achievements: ACSA Study Architecture Student Showcase / UTSOA Design Excellence Nomination
This project explores the concept of a cultural landmark within the framework of a rapidly changing urban environment. Drawing inspiration from Austin’s rich heritage in film and performance, the project proposes a multi-use building comprising a proscenium theater, film museum, and public archive. The museum, a living record of history and stories, anchors the cultural narrative of Austin, while the theater serves as an active platform for contemporary expression.
The notion of projection manifests across all scales of the project, most notably in the visible projection of the building’s structure onto its façades. A steel mesh exterior exposes the building’s structure while functioning as a projective canvas itself and a backdrop for the urban realm. The design adopts a hybrid structural system with a steel frame that connects to CLT circulation cores and floors, and steel trusses supporting three large span cantilevers.
As visitors transition from the main lobby into more intimate spaces, they encounter a sequence of atmospheres, each defined by shifting interactions between wood and steel. In spaces with flexible programming, a material dialogue between glass, steel, and wood is present. In contrast, performance spaces are built entirely of wood to stimulate an immersive acoustical and visual experience for visitors.
Material gradients reflect the project’s ambition to dissolve boundaries between programs without undermining the functional demands of the programs themselves. Liminal zones are celebrated-vertical circulation and intermission areas freely shared across programs. Transition spaces, in turn, emerge as the true stages, where people can actively shape and reimagine the culture of the city.
Model Construction by partner, Julia Nahley